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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · tube · mate · rule · sharp · race · arm · bat

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. race — a contest
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bank — for money
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tube — a container
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rule — government
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rule — a law
  20. race — humankind
  21. tube — the underground
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com